Happy Ending for Abandoned Dog

SCRANTON — A dog found tied up and starving in Scranton is on the mend at a shelter in Lackawanna County.

Josh Carichner followed the sound of a dog’s bark far back into the woods in the Green Ridge section of Scranton. He was working at Planet Fitness in the Green Ridge Plaza on Wednesday when a passerby told him he heard barking.

A few minutes later, Carichner found the dog tied up and tangled in the brush.

“I thought it was maybe a stray dog that had gotten away. But then I saw him tied up like this and my heart went in my stomach. I couldn’t just leave him back here,” Carichner said.

The pitbull/boxer mix had no room to move, no food, and no water. A passerby told Carichner he heard barking back here for two days. But Carichner wasn’t sure how long the dog had been tied up.

“He wouldn’t have made it overnight. The body had nothing to feed off of, no food or water. Overnight with the temperatures dropping, he would have froze to death,” Carichner added.

Carichner took the pup, who’s less than a year old, to the Griffin Pond Animal Shelter near Clarks Summit.

Officials at the shelter said the dog came to them very thin, but overall in good health. They said it’s likely the dog had a good owner at one time.

Whoever left him in the woods could face criminal charges if they’re caught. Officials at the Griffin Pond Animal Shelter said the dog should have new owners soon.